The Lonely Shadow
by SerpentSpirit
Summary: Reaper's at the door & clock's ticking. Diamond the Greninja must find the legendary Arceus' Fountain and heal the disease which threatens to take her mother away from her. Three days...


**It's Easter, so my Easter Egg for you is a new story. This story takes place 16 years before the events of Leaf in the Wind – Father's Legacy and follows the journey of one of the Original Six Masters, ninja warrior Diamond. Enjoy & leave a like!**

**LONELY SHADOW**

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**CHAPTER I – INVISIBLE LIGHT**

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**E**astern province of the Diamond Isles, know as the Fatherlands, is blooming with rich culture and history. The capital, oriental Sunset City, was located in the eastern end of the province. As the white moon lighted the city, a shadowy figure was overlooking the city from the tall tower of Heaven Temple – A female Greninja-Pokemorph with hourglass-body and E-Cups named Diamond, wearing a black revealing one-piece suit made of latex, navy blue shorts, navy blue vest with a black dragon-pattern on the back and a golden necklace wrapped around her left upper arm. She was arms crossed, observing closely at the city and its lights. The streets were filled with humans and Pokemon, voice of their chanting and celebration drowning under the thundering sound of fireworks blasting to the black sky, their explosion colouring the coming night. Diamond looked at the fireworks over the sea, wind embracing her tongue-scarf. As people on the ground below her started to leave to the market, she put her arms to her sides, crouching slowly. As a firework speeded to the sky, she jumped, vanishing into the night. When the firework reached its peak, it blew up just when Diamond landed onto a house's roof, not making a tiniest sound. When the light of the beautiful rocket subsided, she dashed along the roof and jumped onto another building's roof, running towards the market area. Another firework was launched, which marked the time Diamond had – She stopped like to the wall, crouched deep and jumped high to the air. She used her tongue to grab a golden dragon-figure on the edge of the roof, hanging from it. The firework reached its peak, and Diamond climbed onto the dragon-figure, vanishing from the sudden burst of light behind a wall. She looked behind the corner, seeing thousands of people and Pokemon celebrating in the large open area, filled with small shops, kiosks and a wide stage for performers. Diamond looked at the people closely, and noticed a man wearing glasses and an elegant white suit, accompanied by two women. Diamond moved her head low on the roof, examining the man's movement around the market, from shop to shop. When he vanished into group of other folks, Diamond dashed and jumped off the roof. Right below her was a dark alley, where she landed into without a sound nor attracting attention from the people heading to the celebration. She kept crouched and in the shadows, watching the folks and their Pokemon walking past her. The moment when people stopped coming into her sight Diamond concentrated all her senses to the alley on the other side of the wide street. She put her hands together, leaving an opening between her palms and closed her eyes. When some people walked past her, they felt a sudden gust of wind behind them.

"What was that?" A young boy looked back. His girlfriend looked around, but they saw only folks walking past them.

"Must be just a wind." The boy stated. In the dark alley Diamond, looked at the over her left shoulder, and when they finally ignored the gust and walked to the market, she vanished into the shadows again.

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**D**iamond's destination was another temple located on the other side of the market. It was just like the other buildings, but with the oriental outlook, it had big golden dragon statues at the foot of the stairs. Diamond was on the roof opposite the temple. Seeing no one on the path, she made the same hand-mark like before, and in a moment she was on the roof of the temple. She crouched and leaped high to the air, landing onto the second roof and bouncing even higher, landing at the top of the temple. Diamond turned to look at the city, now hearing the people celebrating at the market. She didn't smile, not even felt happiness like the folks and Pokemon she looked at, nor felt like partying – She walked to a roof door and placed her palm on its handle. It started to freeze and when it was frozen enough, Diamond tugged the door and its lock gave up, breaking. She dropped into the building, closing the door above her.

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**T**he temple was poorly lighted and was commonly inhabited by monks only. During the celebration they would head out and praise the Sacred Mother, Arceus, leaving Diamond almost alone, as the temple was also a resting place for sick and diseased people and Pokemon. Diamond moved in the shadows, avoiding both the monks and the sick, until she reached twin slide doors. With careful and slow steps she moved to the doors and listened to the other side – She heard gentle and calm breathing. Diamond looked around the room she was in, but saw no other way to the other side. Diamond sat down on her knees and closed her eyes, her hands resting on her thighs. She closed her surroundings except for the other side of the room, attempting to figure the room and the person behind the slide doors. Diamond possessed spiritual abilities, and she could see in her mind the person blocking her path: A monk who was sitting on his knees eyes closed, and the room itself was lighted by few candles. Diamond opened her eyes and shook her head. Slowly she put her right hand behind her back, then suddenly the slide doors flew open and she was greeted by bisento.

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**T**he monk held a weapon with firm and deadly grip. He walked around Diamond, one step at the time. Diamond held her hand behind her back, grabbing a black pole under her vest, keeping her eyes locked on the monk's eyes. As he slowly swung the bisento in his hands, Diamond tightened her grip on her weapon, and in a second swung her right arm horizontally, her black pole clashing against the monk's bisento. The monk quickly deflected the pole and attempted to stab Diamond, but the blade went right past her head, revealing "her" to be a fake. Diamond was behind the monk, and pulled a ninjato from the pole's end. The monk quickly realised the happening and kicked behind him, Diamond jumping over the kick and the monk, landing on the bisento, causing it to slam to the tatami from the monk's hands. Diamond held her ninjato against the monk's throat, returning the pole to its scabbard under her vest. She put a finger of her now free hand on her lips. The monk noticed the necklace in her right arm, realising who she is. He put his palms together and bowed as Diamond lowered her weapon.

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**T**he monk led Diamond to an empty library. As the monk browsed the countless books on the shelf, Diamond looked at her necklace. It was pure gold with a silver chain. She looked back at the monk, who picked a book from the shelf and opened it. It was a disguised safe for a key, which he used to open a lock, which was also disguised, in the right eye of the small statue of a golden dragon's head. The stand of the statue clicked vertically open and the monk opened the whole statue like a book. Inside was a scroll, which the monk bowed to before taking it with both hands.

"Arceus protect our sister Xiang." The monk said with sad tone, then held the scroll before Diamond. She took it with her both hands and bowed to the monk.

"Run fast my child! Believe in your skills as a Warrior, and you shall succeed!" The monk said and bowed to Diamond, who bowed back.

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**D**iamond left the temple the same way she entered, and jumped from the tall building, landing onto the roof of the building. She ran back to the building roof where she could see the market as whole. She saw the same fancy man with now four women with him, flirting with all of them. Diamond checked that the scroll was safely in the bag on her back, then jumped onto the tip of the building's lightning rod. She put her hands together, leaving the opening between her palms, and executed Shadow Walk.

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**T**he man with four ladies was eating at the popular outdoors restaurant, ordering all the menu had to offer.

"So tell me ladies, movies, or to the docks to enjoy the fireworks?" The man asked while lighting a cigarette. The girls giggled.

"Oh, you're so handsome!" One of them smiled.

"You're… still going to pay all these?" Another asked. The man laughed.

"I'll do anything for such pretty ladies. It doesn't matter how much this costs."

"Are you a millionaire?!" Third one asked. The man took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaled and smirked.

"Let's just say that if the moon would be for sale, I'd buy it before anyone else could even know about it." He praised himself. A waiter boy walked to him with a rather long bill.

"Here is the bill sir." He said and bowed. The man took the paper and had a look at the end.

"Just five zeroes? No problem!" He smirked and put his hand into his jacket, searching for his wallet. His smile soon turned into confusion, then into slight panic when he jumped up and took off his jacket. The wallet wasn't where it was.

"He-hey… Where…? My wallet! My wallet's been stolen!" He gasped, threw the jacket away and searched the pockets of his pants. Just a phone. The waiter boy reacted first.

"Sir! We have a bum here!" He shouted towards the kitchen. Another waiter heard him and ran away. The man panicked and waved his hands in front of the waiter.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! There's… just a little misunderstanding… Right, ladies?" He looked at the girls, who took their jackets and bags, about to leave.

"Just a cheating bum! Hmph!" One left with fast legs. However, when the fourth checked her jacket's pocket, she got a panic attack.

"My wallet! It's not here! It's…"

"Stolen!" She and the young man shouted together.

* * *

Outside the market Diamond, now wearing light brown monk robes, walked towards the docks, tossing a fat wallet in her right hand. As the second round of fireworks started, lighting the sea and the boats, Diamond stared at the horizon with dagger glare.

"_I will find the cure mother… even if it cost me my life!" _She thought with her left hand on her heart. With the scroll containing the details of the Arceus' Fountain and the money needed to reach that sacred place shrouded in mystery Diamond jumped onto the building, threw away the monk robes and sprinted. One ship was leaving the docks, heading to west. Diamond accelerated and when at the edge of the building, leaped high to the sky. Behind her a firework flew straight up to the sky. It blew up just when her silhouette was in the moonlight, and when the light subsided, so was Diamond vanished. She was standing on the top of the ship's mast, looking at the Sunset City with her arms crossed. Despite the range between the monk temple and her, she could see the same monk standing on the top of the temple's tower.

"Arceus guide you my child." He prayed his hands crossed. Diamond closed her eyes, and nodded deep. She then turned around and looked at the white moon as the ship set sail to west.


End file.
